Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA

Untitled (Ramone) © 2011 Tim Burton

Over the Independence Day weekend, my daughter and I took a little trip to L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA) to view the Tim Burton exhibit.

Overall, we had a lot of fun and loved the exhibit, which included illustrations, sketches and other media Burton created before and after he became famous as a movie director. There is also movie memorabilia, including costumes, props and puppets from his movies. Photography was not permitted and the staff was very diligent about it while we were there so I have no pictures of my own, however, others managed to get away with it so here is a link to some of the items on display: http://wordlesstech.com/2011/06/03/tim-burton-exhibition-at-lacma/ Its worth taking a look!

The illustrations and visual media created by Burton were very interesting, but the one thing that kind of felt out of place was the movie memorabilia, like Edward Scissorhands costume, Catwoman's suit from 'Batman Returns' or the bodiless head models of Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan from 'Mars Attacks.' I kept getting the feeling I was in some 20th Century Fox museum rather than an art museum. Not that I didn't enjoy seeing these things up close, but they just seemed out of place.

I learned a lot about Tim Burton that I never knew while seeing his work. For one, I never knew he was an illustrator. I'm sure it should have been obvious, but maybe I just didn't pay that much attention to him even though I am a fan of his movies. He is a very good illustrator and his work is very creative. The exhibit caused me to remind my daughter not to EVER throw out any of her artwork - even the pieces she didn't think were any good. This exhibit had everything from rough sketches to finished pieces. Not your run-of-the-mill art exhibit.

The Way to Horror by Hugo Steiner-Prag

What I found most interesting was the "Burton Selects: From LACMA's Collection" in the Ahmanson building at LACMA. This show consisted of works that inspired Tim Burton. I loved it! One of my favorite pieces shown there was Hugo Steiner-Prag's 'The Way to Horror.'  It really exuded fear!

I highly recommend viewing the exhibit if you get the chance. If it doesn't come to your area there are a few places you can go online to see some of the exhibit:

http://www.timburton.com/
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2009/timburton/

Below is a news clip announcing the opening of the LACMA exhibit:

What makes you an art expert?

You may be asking yourself "What makes you such an expert on art?"

For the record, I'm not. However, I do love and appreciate art and want to share that love and appreciation with others. I spent my life surrounded by art. My mother is an artist, my grandfather was an artist, and my brothers and I are all artists. I would live in an art museum if they would let me! I spent part of my childhood in Europe and got to see some spectacular works of art and it all had a profound impact on me.

I hope to use this venue to get people to really think about art and what makes them like what they like and hate what they hate. I want to discuss the differences in art from other cultures and time periods. I want to hear from other people who are equally passionate about art and why. Ultimately, I hope to inspire others to create, create, create!!
 
One of the most valuable things I have learned about art is that its everywhere, as is the possibility of art. I'm a member of Deviantart.com and there are so many artists out there that have their own ideas on what art is. Some of the submissions are very amateur, but a lot of them are really interesting and creative. Most of us know that art is subjective; you may see a picture, sculpture or painting and think, "Nice, but it's not art" while another will see it and think it's a creative masterpiece. Think of some of the pop art you may have seen. I still debate with my mother over the art value of Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can pieces she doesn't think it qualifies as art, but I do. However, she sees Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog as a legitimate piece of art so it seems to all be perfectly subjective.

I also would like to keep people aware that art isn't just something someone made because they could. Every piece has meaning. Some meanings are more profound than others, but that's another facet of art that I want to highlight in my blog. There is the work of Diego Rivera, who illustrated the plight of the worker in much of his work, or the Hudson River School who focused on the natural beauty of the untouched environment.

So, in closing, this isn't a scholarly blog (is there such a thing?) or an expert critique on art. Simply my point of view and hopefully those of others. I welcome your input!